Tailgating detection

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for detecting doorway tailgating are disclosed. A method includes: determining, by a computer device, a mobile device moves through a doorway to a secure area; determining, by the computer device, a security protocol was not passed for the mobile device to move through the doorway; and generating, by the computer device, an alert based on both the determining the mobile device moves through the doorway to the secure area and the determining the security protocol was not passed.

BACKGROUND

The present invention generally relates to detecting unauthorized entryinto a secure area and, more particularly, to a system and method fordetecting doorway tailgating.

It is common for buildings and other structures to have restrictedaccess areas (also called secure areas) that can only be entered andexited by controlled access points, such as locked doors, turnstiles,etc. Admittance of a person through a controlled access point is oftenautomated through access control systems that utilize an RFID reader atthe controlled access point and access cards (e.g., badges) that have aradio frequency identification (RFID) tags. Authorized persons areissued an access card having a unique RFID tag, and the systemelectronically unlocks a door or turnstile at the controlled accesspoint when the RFID reader detects the presence of an RFID tag of anauthorized person. In this manner, the controlled access point mayremain normally locked to prevent access of unauthorized persons, andmay be temporarily unlocked when presented with an RFID tag of anauthorized person.

One of the biggest weaknesses of automated access control systems is thefact that most systems cannot actually control how many people enter acontrolled access point when an access card is presented. For example,most systems allow you to control which card works at a particularcontrolled access door, but once an employee opens the door with theirauthorized access card, any number of people can follow behind theemployee and enter into the building. Similarly, when an employee exitsthe building, it is very easy for a person to grab the open door andenter the building as the employee is leaving. These practices arereferred to as “tailgating” which generally refers to one or morepersons gaining access through a controlled access point by followinganother person through the access point and without presenting an accesscard. Other examples of tailgating include an employee opening a doorand holding it open for others, visitors without badges, or the passiveacceptance of a uniformed worker.

Types of technologies that are currently used to detect tailgatinginclude: smart cards that house multiple credentials on one card;security guards that can visually confirm a badge matches the holder;turnstiles that serve as a physical barrier and are good for high-volumetraffic; laser sensors that can detect multiple people; biometrics thatdeter employees from sharing credentials; long-range readers that can beused in parking lots and garages; PIN numbers that can be added to cardreaders; camera analytics that enable remote facial recognition; visitorbadges that ensure temporary guests are documented; and traps or airlocks that require a double set of identification.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect of the invention, there is a method that includes:determining, by a computer device, a mobile device moves through adoorway to a secure area; determining, by the computer device, asecurity protocol was not passed for the mobile device to move throughthe doorway; and generating, by the computer device, an alert based onboth the determining the mobile device moves through the doorway to thesecure area and the determining the security protocol was not passed.

In another aspect of the invention, there is a system that includes: aplurality of micro-location devices arranged at a doorway; a sensorconfigured to detect an open/closed state of the doorway; an electronicaccess control device that selectively locks and unlocks a door in thedoorway; and a computer device configured to determine an unauthorizedentry of a mobile device through the doorway into a secure area based ondata received from the plurality of micro-location devices, datareceived from the sensor, and data received from the electronic accesscontrol device.

In another aspect of the invention, there is a computer program productthat includes a computer readable storage medium having programinstructions embodied therewith. The program instructions are executableby a computing device to cause the computing device to: receive datafrom micro-location devices arranged at a doorway; receive data from anelectronic access control device that selectively locks and unlocks adoor in the doorway; determine a number of access credentials presentedat the electronic access control device based on the data received fromthe electronic access control device; determine a number of mobiledevices that move through the doorway based on the data received fromthe micro-location devices; compare the number of access credentialspresented at the electronic access control device to the number ofmobile devices that move through the doorway; determine an unauthorizedentry through the doorway based on the comparing; and generate an alertbased on the determining the unauthorized entry.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in the detailed description whichfollows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way ofnon-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 depicts a computing infrastructure according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an exemplary system in accordance withaspects of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a method in accordance with aspects of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention generally relates to detecting unauthorized entryinto a secure area and, more particularly, to a system and method fordetecting doorway tailgating. Systems and methods in accordance withaspects of the invention use micro-location technologies to detect apotential security breach via tailgating. In embodiments, micro-locationtechnologies are used to monitor the location and direction of travel ofa mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, smart watch, tablet computer, etc.)relative to a controlled access point (e.g., an electronically lockeddoor). Information regarding the state of the controlled access point(e.g., whether a door is opened or closed) can be used to determinewhether a mobile device should be allowed into the secure area. Insituations when passage into the secure area has been granted (e.g., viaan authorized access card or other security protocol), the system canmonitor for more than one mobile device traveling through the controlledaccess point from outside the secure area. In situations when acontrolled access point has been opened from inside the secure area, thesystem can recognize that a mobile device is moving into the secure areawithout access rights and generate an appropriate notification. In thismanner, implementations of the invention are usable to detect tailgatingand provide an alert when tailgating is detected.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product may include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including,for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute thecomputer readable program instructions by utilizing state information ofthe computer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a computinginfrastructure is shown. Computing infrastructure 10 is only one exampleof a suitable computing infrastructure and is not intended to suggestany limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of embodiments ofthe invention described herein. Regardless, computing infrastructure 10is capable of being implemented and/or performing any of thefunctionality set forth hereinabove.

In computing infrastructure 10 there is a computer system (or server)12, which is operational with numerous other general purpose or specialpurpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples ofwell-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations thatmay be suitable for use with computer system 12 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system 12 may be described in the general context of computersystem executable instructions, such as program modules, being executedby a computer system. Generally, program modules may include routines,programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and so on thatperform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.Computer system 12 may be practiced in distributed cloud computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices thatare linked through a communications network. In a distributed cloudcomputing environment, program modules may be located in both local andremote computer system storage media including memory storage devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, computer system 12 in computing infrastructure 10 isshown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The componentsof computer system 12 may include, but are not limited to, one or moreprocessors or processing units (e.g., CPU) 16, a system memory 28, and abus 18 that couples various system components including system memory 28to processor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnects (PCI) bus.

Computer system 12 typically includes a variety of computer systemreadable media. Such media may be any available media that is accessibleby computer system 12, and it includes both volatile and non-volatilemedia, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a nonremovable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

Computer system 12 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computer system12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.) that enablecomputer system 12 to communicate with one or more other computingdevices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output (I/O) interfaces22. Still yet, computer system 12 can communicate with one or morenetworks such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area network(WAN), and/or a public network (e.g., the Internet) via network adapter20. As depicted, network adapter 20 communicates with the othercomponents of computer system 12 via bus 18. It should be understoodthat although not shown, other hardware and/or software components couldbe used in conjunction with computer system 12. Examples, include, butare not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processingunits, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and dataarchival storage systems, etc.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an exemplary system 100 in accordancewith aspects of the invention. In embodiments, the system 100 includes aplurality of micro-location devices 105 a, 105 b, 105 c arranged arounda controlled access point such as an electronically locked door 110 in adoorway 111. The micro-location devices 105 a-c are electronic devicesthat use micro-location technologies to determine a location of one ormore mobile devices 115 in the vicinity of the controlled access point.One such example of micro-location technologies is a WiFi positioningsystem (WPS or WiPS or WFPS), which may be used to determine theposition of mobile devices (e.g., smartphone, smart watch, tabletcomputer, etc.) with respect to WiFi sensors. Each mobile device has aunique MAC address that is wirelessly transmitted while looking for andestablishing WiFi connections, even without actually connecting to aWiFi access point. WiFi sensors may be used to determine the location ofa mobile device using this information that is wirelessly transmittedfrom the mobile device. For example, the precise location of a mobiledevice that is within range of at least three spaced apart WiFi sensorscan be determined using a triangulation algorithm.

Aspects of the invention leverage micro-location technologies, via themicro-location devices 105 a-c, to determine the location and movementof mobile computing devices relative to a controlled access point, suchas the doorway 111, to detect when tailgating occurs at the controlledaccess point. In embodiments, the micro-location devices 105 a-c areWiFi devices (sensors) configured to utilize WPS to determine a locationof one or more devices 115. Embodiments are not limited to WPS, andimplementations of the invention may utilize other types ofmicro-location technologies including, but not limited to, Bluetooth LowEnergy (BLE) beacons, Near Field Communication (NFC), and GlobalPositioning System (GPS). Implementations of the invention may alsoutilize more than one type of micro-location technology at a singlecontrolled access point, e.g., both WPS and BLE, to increase theaccuracy of the location determination of mobile devices relative to thecontrolled access point.

As shown in FIG. 2, each micro-location device 105 a-c has an associatedrange 120 a-c in which it can detect a mobile device 115 usingmicro-location technology. In embodiments, the micro-location devices105 a-c are spatially arranged relative to the doorway 111 such that theranges 120 a-c overlap in the vicinity of the doorway 111, such that thesystem uses data from the micro-location devices 105 a-c to determine alocation of a mobile device 115 via triangulation. The micro-locationdevices 105 a-c may be physically located around the doorway 111 in anysuitable manner, such as being mounted in or on a floor, wall, orceiling of a structure (e.g., a building) that contains the doorway 111.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the system 100 includes a monitor 125, whichmay be a computing device similar to the computer device 12 of FIG. 1.In embodiments, the monitor 125 is in communication with themicro-location devices 105 a-c and receives location data of the mobiledevice 115 via the micro-location devices 105 a-c. In embodiments, themonitor 125 includes a locator module 130, which may be a program modulesimilar to program module 42 of FIG. 1, that determines the location ofthe mobile device 115 using the data from the micro-location devices 105a-c, e.g., using triangulation techniques.

According to aspects of the invention, the monitor 125 receives datafrom the micro-location devices 105 a-c at regularly timed intervals(e.g., once a second), and the locator module 130 uses this data todetermine the location of the mobile device 115 at different times. Inembodiments, the locator module 130 is programmed with or has access todata that defines a location of the doorway 111 (e.g., coordinates of afloor plan of a building that includes the doorway 111). The locatormodule 130 may also be programmed with or have access to data thatdefines an unsecure area 131 side of the door 110 and a secure area 132side of the door 110 (e.g., coordinates of the floor plan of thebuilding that includes the doorway 111). By comparing the determinedlocations of the mobile device 115 to the defined location of thedoorway 111, the locator module 130 may determine a path of travel ofthe mobile device 115 relative to the doorway 111. In this manner, thesystem can determine when the mobile device 115 passes through thedoorway 111 and in which direction the mobile device 115 passes throughthe doorway 111. Moreover, by comparing the path of travel of the mobiledevice 115 to the coordinates of the unsecure area 131 and the securearea 132, the system can determine whether the mobile device 115 hasentered the secure area 132 or exited the secure area 132 when movingthrough the doorway 111.

Using the micro-location techniques described herein, the systemincluding the monitor 125 and micro-location devices 105 a-c is capableof determining the respective locations of plural different mobiledevices 115, 115′ at any given time. In this manner, the system iscapable of determining when more than one mobile device passes throughthe doorway 111 and a direction of travel for each mobile devicerelative to the doorway 111.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, the system 100 may include a sensor135 that indicates an open/closed status of the door 110 in the doorway111. The sensor 135 may comprise, for example, a photoeye, proximitysensor, or other sensor that is capable of determining when the door 110is open and when the door 110 is closed. The sensor 135 iscommunicatively connected to the monitor 125 such that data from thesensor 135 may be communicated to and used by the monitor 125.

The system 100 may also include an electronic access control device 140associated with the door 110. The electronic access control device 140may be a conventional device such as an RFID reader or keypad by which aperson can provide credentials (e.g., via RFID badge or PIN entry) toverify their authorized access to the door 110, e.g., pass a securityprotocol. The electronic access control device 140 may have a defaultstate of electronically locking the door 110, and may operate toelectronically unlock the door 110 when suitable credentials areprovided (e.g., via RFID badge or PIN entry). In embodiments, theelectronic access control device 140 is communicatively connected to themonitor 125 such that data from the electronic access control device 140may be communicated to and used by the monitor 125.

According to aspects of the invention, the system is configured to usethe location data of a mobile device 115 determined by the locatormodule 130, the open/closed status of the door 110 from the sensor 135,and the data from the electronic access control device 140 to determinewhen a mobile device 115 passes through the doorway 111 withoutauthorization, e.g., without a security protocol having been passed. Inembodiments, an access module 145 may receive data from the locatormodule 130, the sensor 135, and the electronic access control device140, and the access module 145 may be programmed with appropriate logicto use this data to determine when a mobile device 115 passes throughthe doorway 111 with or without proper access. The access module 145 maybe a program module of the monitor 125, similar to program module 42 ofFIG. 1.

In a first illustrative example, the access module 145 receives datafrom the sensor 135 indicating that the door 110 is open and data fromthe electronic access control device 140 indicating that an accesscredential is provided (e.g., a security protocol has been passed).Still in this example, at the same time during which the door 110 isopen, the access module 145 receives data from the locator module 130indicating that a mobile device 115 moves through the doorway 111 fromthe unsecure area 131 to the secure area 132. In this situation, e.g.,where a single mobile device 115 passes through the doorway 111 into thesecure area 132 concurrent with presentation of access credentials, theaccess module 145 is programmed to determine that an authorized entryhas occurred.

In a second illustrative example, the access module 145 receives datafrom the sensor 135 indicating that the door 110 is open and data fromthe electronic access control device 140 indicating that only a singleaccess credential is provided. Still in this example, at the same timeduring which the door 110 is open, the access module 145 receives datafrom the locator module 130 indicating that a first mobile device 115and a second mobile device 115′ both move through the doorway 111 fromthe unsecure area 131 to the secure area 132. In this situation, e.g.,where more than one mobile device 115 passes through the doorway 111into the secure area 132 concurrent with presentation of only a singleaccess credential, the access module 145 is programmed to determine thatan unauthorized entry (e.g., security breach) has occurred. This exampleillustrates a type of tailgating where a first person presents firstaccess credentials at the electronic access control device 140, opensthe door 110 and passes through the doorway 111, and a second personfollows the first person through the doorway 111 without presentingsecond access credentials at the electronic access control device 140(e.g., without passing their own security protocol).

In a third illustrative example, the access module 145 receives datafrom the sensor 135 indicating that the door 110 is open and data fromthe electronic access control device 140 indicating that no accesscredential has been provided (e.g., a security protocol was not passed).Still in this example, at the same time during which the door 110 isopen, the access module 145 receives data from the locator module 130indicating that the mobile device 115 moves through the doorway 111 fromthe secure area 132 to the unsecure area 131. In this situation, e.g.,where a single mobile device 115 passes through the doorway 111 from thesecure area 132 to the unsecure area 131, the access module 145 may beprogrammed to determine that an exit has occurred.

In a fourth illustrative example, the access module 145 receives datafrom the sensor 135 indicating that the door 110 is open and data fromthe electronic access control device 140 indicating that no accesscredential has been provided (e.g., a security protocol was not passed).Still in this example, at the same time during which the door 110 isopen, the access module 145 receives data from the locator module 130indicating that a first mobile device 115 moves through the doorway 111from the secure area 132 to the unsecure area 131, and that a secondmobile device 115′ moves through the doorway 111 from the unsecure area131 to the secure area 132. In this situation, e.g., where a mobiledevice 115′ passes through the doorway 111 from the unsecure area 131 tothe secure area 132 without any access credential being provided, theaccess module 145 may be programmed to determine that an unauthorizedentry has occurred. This example illustrates a type of tailgating wherea first person exits through the doorway 111, and a second person who isinitially in the unsecure area 131 grabs the door 110 while it is stillopen and passes through the doorway 111 into the secure area 132 withoutpresenting any credentials.

According to aspects of the invention, the monitor 125 is configured todetermine that an unauthorized entry has occurred when a number ofmobile devices that move through the doorway 111 into the secure area132 exceeds a number of access credentials that were provided at theelectronic access control device 140. For example, the in the secondexample described above, two mobile device moved through the doorway 111into the secure area 132 while only one access credential was providedat the electronic access control device 140. Similarly, in the fourthexample described above, one mobile device moved through the doorway 111into the secure area 132 while zero access credential were provided atthe electronic access control device 140. Accordingly, in both examples,the monitor 125 determined that an unauthorized entry occurred.Implementations of the invention are not limited to these examples, andthe monitor 125 may be configured to determine that an unauthorizedentry has occurred under different combinations of data from the locatormodule 130, sensor 135, and electronic access control device 140.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, the monitor 125 isconfigured to initiate an alert when the monitor 125 determines that anunauthorized entry has occurred. In embodiments, upon detecting that anunauthorized entry has occurred at the doorway 111, the monitor 125transmits data to an alert system 150 that generates one or more alerts.The alert may take any suitable form or plurality of forms. For example,the alert system 150 may cause a light (e.g., a flashing light) to beemitted at a location in the vicinity of the door 110 at which theunauthorized entry occurred. In another example, the alert system 150may cause a sound (e.g., a buzzer or siren) to be emitted at a locationin the vicinity of the door 110 at which the unauthorized entryoccurred. In another example, the alert system 150 may cause a visibleand/or audible message to be output at a computing device in thevicinity of the door 110. In another example, the alert system 150 maycause a visible and/or audible message to be output at a computingdevice at a remote location relative to the door 110. Implementations ofthe invention are not limited to these examples, and the alert system150 may be configured to generate any number and any type of alertsbased on the determined unauthorized entry.

The alert system 150 may be a computer system that is separate from andcommunicatively connected to the monitor 125. Alternatively, the alertsystem 150 and the monitor 125 may be part of a single device 155.

In embodiments, based upon the monitor 125 determining that anunauthorized entry has occurred, one of the monitor 125 and the alertsystem 150 may communicate with additional devices in the building totrack the location of the unauthorized person within the building. Forexample, the locator module 130 may communicate with one or moreadditional micro-location devices 105 d . . . 105 n that are locatedwithin the secure area 132 to track the location of a mobile device 115within the secure area 132 after it has been determined that the mobiledevice 115 made an unauthorized entry through the doorway 111. Thelocator module 130 may communicate with one or more additionalmicro-location devices 105 d . . . 105 n via a network 160, which may beany suitable type of communications network such as LAN, WAN, and theInternet. In another example, the alert system 150 may communicate withone or more camera devices 165 to obtain image data (e.g., pictures ofvideo) of a person that made an unauthorized entry through the doorway111. For example, the alert system 150 may cause one or more cameras 165to start recording image data based upon the alert system 150 receivingan indication of an unauthorized entry from the monitor 125.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, the access module 145 maybe programmed with or have access to data that defines pairings betweenrespective mobile devices and respective access credentials. Forexample, a first mobile device 115 may be paired (e.g., associated) witha first unique access credential, and a second mobile device 115′ may bepaired with a second unique access credential. The access module 145 maybe configured to determine an unauthorized entry when a mobile devicepasses through the door with an access credential other than the accesscredential that is paired with that particular mobile device. Forexample, the access module 145 may be configured to determine anunauthorized entry when the first mobile device 155 moves through thedoorway 111 into the secure area 132 concurrently with presentation ofthe second access credential. This type of situation may be indicativeof a person who has borrowed another person's access credential.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, the access module 145 maybe programmed to learn that a particular access credential is associatedwith a particular mobile device. For example, the access module 145 maybe programmed to determine that a first access credential is associatedwith a first mobile device 115 based on a history of the first accesscredential being used with the first mobile device 115 for a least athreshold number of times at the door 110. In this manner, when a secondmobile device 115′ moves through the doorway 111 into the secure area132 concurrently with presentation of the first access credential, theaccess module 145 may determine that an unauthorized entry has occurred.

FIG. 3 depicts a method of detecting a tailgating security breach viamicro-location technologies in accordance with aspects of the invention.The steps of the method may be performed in the system of FIG. 2 and aredescribed with reference to the elements described in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 3, at step 300 the system 100 monitors the location ofone or more mobile devices 115 in an area around a door 110 in a doorway111. Step 300 may be performed in the manner described with respect toFIG. 2, e.g., using micro-location devices 105 a-c to determine thelocation of one or more mobile devices 115.

At step 305, the system detects that the door 110 opens. In embodiments,a sensor 135 detects the open/closed state of the door 110 and transitscorresponding data to a monitor 125.

At step 310, the system monitors the direction of travel of the mobiledevice through the doorway 111. Step 300 may be performed in the mannerdescribed with respect to FIG. 2, e.g., by the locator module 130determining the direction of travel of a mobile device 115 through thedoorway 111, e.g., by determining the location of the mobile device 115at plural consecutive times and comparing the path of the mobile deviceto a defined location of the doorway 111.

At step 315, the system determines whether the mobile device enters thesecure area. As described with respect to FIG. 2, the monitor 125 mayuse the determined path of travel of the mobile device 115 and thedefined locations of the unsecure area 131 to the secure area 132 todetermine one of: the mobile device 115 moves from the unsecure area 131to the secure area 132 (e.g., entered the secure area 132); and themobile device 115 moves from the secure area 132 to the unsecure area131 (e.g., exited the secure area). In the event the mobile device isdetermined as exiting the secure area 132 (step 315=No), then theprocess proceeds to step 335 where the system uses the sensor 135 todetermine whether the door 110 is open or closed.

On the other hand, in the event the mobile device is determined asentering the secure area 132 (step 315=Yes), then at step 320 the systemdetermines whether a security protocol was passed. Step 320 may beperformed in the manner described with respect to FIG. 2, e.g., byanalyzing the data from the electronic access control device 140 todetermine if a valid access credential was presented.

In the event the security protocol is not passed at step 320 (step320=No), then at step 330 the system generates an alert. Step 320 may beperformed in the manner described with respect to FIG. 2, e.g., by theaccess module transmitting data to an alert system 150 that generates analert. Following the generating the alert at step 330, the processproceeds to step 335 where the system uses the sensor 135 to determinewhether the door 110 is open or closed.

Referring back to step 320, in the event the security protocol is passed(step 320=Yes), then at step 325 the system determines whether more thanone mobile device is entering the secure area 132 through the doorway111. In the event it is determined that more than one mobile device isentering (step 325=Yes), then the process proceeds to step 330 where thealert is generated. On the other hand, in the event it is determinedthat more than one mobile device is not entering (step 325=no), then theprocess proceeds to step 335 where the system uses the sensor 135 todetermine whether the door 110 is open or closed.

At step 335, the system determines whether the door 110 is closed. Inembodiments, as described with respect to FIG. 2, the monitor 125receives data from the sensor 135 that indicates the open/closed stateof the door 110. When the door 110 is closed (step 335=Yes), thisiteration of the process ends and the process resets to step 300. Whenthe door is not closed (step 335=No), the process returns to step 310where the system continues to monitor for movement of mobile devicesthrough the doorway 111.

In accordance with the description herein, implementations of theinvention provide a system and method for detecting a tailgatingsecurity breach via micro-location technologies. Aspects of the systemand method may include instrumenting an area around a doorway 111 withtwo or more sensors (e.g., micro-location devices 105 a-c) such that thedirection of travel of sensed mobile devices 115 can be determined. Thesensors may detect, e.g., WiFi or Bluetooth on a mobile device. Aspectsof the system and method may include assigning a different level ofsecurity to each side of the doorway 111, e.g., a secure area 132 and anunsecure area 131. Aspects of the system and method may includeinstrumenting the doorway 111 such that the open/close state of the doorcan be determined (e.g., using sensor 135). Aspects of the system andmethod may include receiving notice that access has been granted to openthe door from a first access method, such as a conventional RFID badge(e.g., using electronic access control device 140). Aspects of thesystem and method may include tracking, via the sensors, movement of themobile device through the doorway 111 to the secure area side and, ifmore than a single sensed device is tracked through the doorway 111,trigger an alert. Aspects of the system and method may include detectingentry into secure area when the door is opened from the secure side.Aspects of the system and method may include detecting that the door hasopened, tracking one device through the doorway 111 from the secureside, and tracking another device through the doorway 111 into thesecure side, and triggering an alert.

In embodiments, a service provider, such as a Solution Integrator, couldoffer to perform the processes described herein. In this case, theservice provider can create, maintain, deploy, support, etc., thecomputer infrastructure that performs the process steps of the inventionfor one or more customers. These customers may be, for example, anybusiness that uses technology. In return, the service provider canreceive payment from the customer(s) under a subscription and/or feeagreement and/or the service provider can receive payment from the saleof advertising content to one or more third parties.

In still additional embodiments, the invention provides acomputer-implemented method, via a network. In this case, a computerinfrastructure, such as computer system 12 (FIG. 1), can be provided andone or more systems for performing the processes of the invention can beobtained (e.g., created, purchased, used, modified, etc.) and deployedto the computer infrastructure. To this extent, the deployment of asystem can comprise one or more of: (1) installing program code on acomputing device, such as computer system 12 (as shown in FIG. 1), froma computer-readable medium; (2) adding one or more computing devices tothe computer infrastructure; and (3) incorporating and/or modifying oneor more existing systems of the computer infrastructure to enable thecomputer infrastructure to perform the processes of the invention.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a plurality ofmicro-location devices arranged at a doorway; a sensor configured todetect an open/closed state of the doorway; an electronic access controldevice that selectively locks and unlocks a door in the doorway; and acomputer device configured to: determine a location of a mobile devicerelative to a doorway based on data received from a plurality ofmicro-location devices; and determine an unauthorized entry of themobile device through the doorway into a secure area based on the datareceived from the plurality of micro-location devices, data receivedfrom the sensor, and data received from the electronic access controldevice.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining theunauthorized entry of the mobile device through the doorway into thesecure area comprises comparing a number of mobile devices that passthrough the doorway into the secure area to the data from the electronicaccess control device.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computerdevice determines whether a security protocol has been passed based onthe data received from the electronic access control device.
 4. Thesystem of claim 3, further comprising tracking a location of the mobiledevice inside the secure area based on the determining the unauthorizedentry.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the micro-location devicescomprise WiFi sensors configured to utilize WiFi positioning system(WPS) to determine locations of computer devices.
 6. The system of claim1, wherein the micro-location devices comprise Bluetooth Low Energy(BLE) beacons.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the micro-locationdevices comprise a combination of WiFi sensors and Bluetooth Low Energy(BLE) beacons.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the micro-locationdevices are spatially arranged relative to the doorway such that rangesof the micro-location devices overlap each other at the doorway.
 9. Asystem, comprising: a plurality of micro-location devices arranged at adoorway; a sensor configured to detect an open/closed state of thedoorway; an electronic access control device that selectively locks andunlocks a door in the doorway; and a computer device configured to:determine a location of a mobile device relative to a doorway based ondata received from a plurality of micro-location devices; and determinean unauthorized entry of the mobile device through the doorway into asecure area based on the data received from the plurality ofmicro-location devices, data received from the sensor, and data receivedfrom the electronic access control device, wherein the computer deviceis configured to determine a path of travel of the mobile devicerelative to the doorway; and the determining the unauthorized entry isbased on the determined path of travel.
 10. The system of claim 9,wherein the determining the path of travel of the mobile device relativeto the doorway comprises determining plural different locations of themobile device at different times.
 11. The system of claim 10, whereinthe determining the path of travel of the mobile device relative to thedoorway comprises comparing the plural different locations to data thatdefines an unsecure area side of the door and a secure area side of thedoor.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the micro-location devicescomprise WiFi sensors configured to utilize WiFi positioning system(WPS) to determine locations of computer devices.
 13. The system ofclaim 9, wherein the micro-location devices comprise Bluetooth LowEnergy (BLE) beacons.
 14. The system of claim 9, wherein themicro-location devices comprise a combination of WiFi sensors andBluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons.
 15. The system of claim 9, whereinthe micro-location devices are spatially arranged relative to thedoorway such that ranges of the micro-location devices overlap eachother at the doorway.
 16. The system of claim 9, wherein the determiningthe unauthorized entry of the mobile device through the doorway into thesecure area comprises comparing a number of mobile devices that passthrough the doorway into the secure area to the data from the electronicaccess control device.